Boys’ basketball: Samohi blows out Culver City, wins second straight

SAMOHI — Santa Monica High School boys’ basketball notched their second straight Ocean League win against the Culver City Centaurs Friday night, 78-52.

Coming off a close win against the Inglewood Sentinels last Wednesday, the Vikings were in control from the opening tip, jumping out to an 11-4 lead with the help of a quick start from forward Chris Smith. The first quarter ended with a 23-14 Santa Monica lead.

By the end of the half, the Vikings had blown the game open, leading by 19.

“The guys came off the bench and provided a lot of spark for us,” head coach James Hecht said of what helped the Vikings pull away from the Centaurs in the second quarter. “That was the key.”

The second half was just as dominant for Santa Monica as they scored seven straight points out of the locker room. Culver City went on an 8-0 run after an early time-out, but their turnovers translated to easy points in transition for the Vikings, and they eventually fell, 78-52, keeping them winless in league.

Despite the wide margin, Samohi guard Jordan Mathews felt his team didn’t perform up to its fullest potential.

“We didn’t play the way we normally play,” Mathews said.

Hecht agreed with Mathews about the team’s play, saying it wasn’t one of their best games in terms of execution.

“It was a little sloppy,” he said. “I don’t think the body and the mind were on the same page tonight.”

Despite the sloppy play, Samohi got good balance on the offensive end, with four players scoring in double figures.

Santa Monica will be looking for their third straight league win Wednesday night at home against the Beverly Hills Normans at 7:30 p.m.